Hi, My wife and I recently bought a mattress from Sam’s Club. It’s about 60% polyurethane and with 22% gel. The smell is bugging me but not my wife. (I’m sensitive to scents and fragrances. The scent of the bed is bothering my breathing. I did not sleep on the mattress in the beginning.) We’ve aired out the mattress for 2.5 days. Much better but I’m still sensitive. (Some nights are OK on the mattress, but now and then I’m extra sensitive and have to sleep elsewhere. I noticed I’m having dry mouth now which I think is due to the smell which interferes with my breathing while I’m asleep.) I called a couple of the manufacturers that make mattress covers and encasements. Also emailed one of them. They all said that the mattress cover/encasement will not do the trick. I will put out the mattress (outside) again, under the patio, to air out. How much longer do I need to do this? Any other strategies?
Thanks in advance, Mike.
Hi mrivney.
I am sorry to hear that your new mattress is off-gassing. In the absence of specifics about the manufacturer or the mattress you own I can only speak in general terms. Whereas a noticeable smell or odor would be normal when first unpacking a product this would dissipate with time. Some people are more sensitive to smells that others and some foams such as memory foam tends to smell more than poly foam. Persistent off gassing and smell may be indicating or either chemical sensitivities in certain people and/or higher levels of chemicals or harmful substances in the componentry of a mattress.
Bad smell and the off-gassing it produces can create some health concerns especially for memory foam made by unknown manufacturers with unknown certifications. The only reliable way to assess the “safety” of different materials is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable “safety” certifications). If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough” … regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label.
If your mattress is still off-gassing after a few days it may be wise to consider contacting the store and asking to see if the foams in the mattress are certiPure certified or have some reliable certification for the safety of the materials. If this cannot be provided it may be better to consider returning the product for a refund and finding a similar design by a reputable company that uses certified foams.
If you are considering one of our Trusted Members here I suggest that you reach out to them directly through the new section TALK TO THE EXPERTS on the Mattress Underground which is now open. Clicking on an Expert Questions & Answers article you will be able to post a question and discuss it with a particular expert. This will create a new topic which will be accessible both on OUR FORUM and through the Expert Member Section.
Note: As this this is a new section and still in beta testing, only a few Experts are at the moment fully functional and able to answer questions but we are working at adding new Experts and areas of expertise and also more features to make the navigation easier.
Phoenix